You would not be alone if you thought the only way to get enough protein your body needs to eat meat. Eating animals has loss some of its trendiness recently both with links to poorer health for both you and the planet when you choose to eat it. So is it possible to eat a vegetarian diet and not waste away your muscle mass? Yes!
What is the big deal between eating meat or vegetable sources of protein?
The major tweaking a vegetarian needs to consider is whether their protein source is complete or not. Complete means has all the amino acids, the sub components in a protein, which your body needs to build protein and make cells. Your body has 9 essential amino acids which it needs to get from your diet and cannot be made. The good news is there is a list of vegetarian sources of protein which are complete! These are:
- Quinoa
- Tofu
- Tempeh
- Buckwheat
- Soybeans
- Hemp seeds
- Chia seeds
What if the vegetarian source is incomplete? It is like making a jigsaw puzzle, you need to eat a combination of different vegetarian protein sources to make the whole picture or amino acid profile to keep your body happy! To do this, try having a combination of incomplete protein sources in a meal or snack a bit like being a protein match maker.
There are favourable combinations or protein ‘personalities’ which fit together to give you the best partners, try:
- Legumes: lentils, seeds or beans ‘dated with’ nuts, grains or seeds. How? Try a vegetable stir fry including soy or kidney beans and brown rice or pitta bread with hummus.
- Grains: rice, oats, barley, rye or wheat ‘dated with’ legumes or dairy. How? Whole wheat bread with ricotta spread or tacos with a bean mix and some cheese.
- Nuts and seeds: almonds, peanuts, sunflower seeds cashews ‘dated with’ legumes. How? A mixed legume and seed salad or making a combination such as a roasted chickpea salad sprinkled with sunflower seeds.
You may be thinking if the body can digest and use the protein from vegetarian sources the same as eating animal products? Almost is the answer. Vegetarian sources of protein are digested and used by the body between 70-90% whereas meat sources of protein can be completely digested and used by the body.
Take Home Message: It is possible to get protein and enough of the types of protein your body needs to stay healthy and strong. The benefits of eating more vegetable sources of protein are good not only for your health but the planet also and having to have a variety of different incomplete protein sources to make your complete source will benefit your body in more ways than one.
References:
http://www.builtlean.com/2012/10/03/complete-vs-incomplete-protein-sources/
http://greatist.com/health/complete-vegetarian-proteins
http://nutritionstudies.org/animal-vs-plant-protein/
http://www.savvyvegetarian.com/articles/get-enough-protein-veg-diet.php
